Automobile-top



J. VETTER.

AUTOMOBILE TOP.

APPLICATIQN FILED DEC. 30, 1918.

1 41,687. Patented June 1, 1920.

UNITED sT rs tram Fries.

aosnrn VETTER, or TOLEDO, onro.

" AU'I'QMOBILEEOP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that L-JOSEPH VnTTnR, a citi- Zenof'the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Automobile-Top; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, suchas will enable others skilled in theart to .which it-appertains to makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing's, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates particularly to means for securing the deck covering, the padding strips and the rear tie straps to automobile top frames; and it has for its object the provision of improved means ofthis character which is adapted to securely clamp the deck covering and the padding strips to the front and rear frame bows, and to clamp the customary rear tie straps to the rear frame bow in a manner to facilitate an easy and rapid mounting'on and removal of the same from the frame.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the top embodying my invention with parts of the deck covering broken away. Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section through the front bow of the frame and parts attached thereto. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 33 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section of the rear bow of the frame and parts attached thereto. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section thereof on the line 6-6 in Fig. 4, and-Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the padding strip and tie strap securing means.

Referring to the drawings, 1 and 2 designate the customary front and rear bows of a top frame; 3 and 4 the deck covering and side edge padding strips,which are attached at their ends to said bows, and when the top frame is in set-up or unfolded position, are drawn taut by said bows over the customary intermediate frame bows 5 and 6.

The padding strips 4 are attached at their front ends to a thin cross-piece 7 and at their rear ends to a thin cross-piece 8, which Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jun 1 Application filed December 30, 1918. Serial No. 268,869. I

and each padding strip attached thereto, and are intended to enter registering recesses 10 provided therefor in the respective bow. The

rear cross-piece 8 also has the upper ends of the customary rear tie straps 11 of the top attached thereto at their upper ends, being preferably looped around the sameand disposed intermediate the side padding stripst. The cross-piece 8 is preferably rigidly attached to the rear how '2 at the pointof engagement of each strap 11 therewith by a bolt or rivet 12, a bolt being preferably em ployed to facilitate a removal of the same from the bow. i

The deck covering 3 is provided at its front end wlth a loop or socket 13 in which a clamping bow 14 preferably of metal is inserted and adapted to fit longitudinally around the front or looped end portion of the front bow 1 without the cross-piece 7 and front ends of the padding strips 4: engaged thereby. The ends of the clamping bow 14 form legs which extend for a short distance rearward along the legs of the how 1, and are secured thereto by rivets or bolts 14*, preferably the latter, to facilitate an easy removal of the clamping bow from the frame bow. The outer side of the front face of the looped or crown portion of the frame bow 1 is preferably inclined upward and forward from its lower edge so that a rearward tension or pull applied on the covering 3 will tend to draw the crown portion of the clamping how 14 in closer clamping contact with the parts disposed between it and the bow.

The covering 3 is provided at its rear end over the rear bow 2, with a clamping bow 15, preferably of metal, which is disposed within a loop or cross opening provided between the lapping edge portions of the cover 3 and back covering 16 of the top, the rear edge of the top covering 3, in the present instance, lapping over the upper edge of the back covering, as best shown in Fig. 4e.

The legs of the clamping bow extend down for a short distance along the outer sides of the legs of the rear bow 2, 'and are secured thereto by rivets or bolts 17, preferably the latter. This clamping bow bears against the outer side of the members disposed between it and the bow 2, and also serves to firmly retain the rivets 9 in the respective sockets 10.

It is evident that, with my invention, the top covering 3 may be easily and quickly removed from thetop frame by merely removing the bolts, or rivets 12 and 17 from the frontand rear bows 1 and 2, respectively, and that the cross piecesv 7 and 8 which carry the padding strips 4 and rear tie straps 11 may then be removed from said bows by simply lifting the studs 9 from the recesses 10 in the respective bows. It, is also evident that the top covering, padding strips and rear tie straps, may be as quickly assembled on the frame as they can be re moved, thus facilitating the upholstering, repairing and reupholstering of automobile tops.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I 1. In a top of the class described, a frame having a bow, a deck cover disposed over the frame, a plurality of strips disposed beneath the cover longitudinally thereof, each of said cover and strips having loops therein disposed one over the other at the outer side of the frame bow, a cross piece extended through the strip loops over the bow and having studs projecting therefrom in removable interengagement with the bow, a clamping strip disposed in the cover loop and disposed at the outer side of said cross piece and means securing the clamping strip to said bow in binding clamping coaction with the cross piece. I

2. In a top of the class described, a fram having a bow, a deck cover disposed over the frame, a plurality of strips disposed beneath the cover longitudinally thereof, a. rear tie strap, each of said cover, strips and strap having a loop therein disposed over the outer side of the frame bow, a cross-piece extending through the strip loop and the strap loop over the bow and having studs projected therefrom in removable'interengagement with the bow, a clamping strip disposed in the cover loop. and disposed at the outer side of the cross-piece, and means securing the clamping strip to said bow in binding clamping coaction with the crosspiece. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

JOSEPH VETTER. 

